


Fishing for Ghosts

by ghostanimal



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Not Phantom Planet Compliant, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-06-14 12:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15388803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostanimal/pseuds/ghostanimal
Summary: After discovering the existence of and catching Dani Phantom, Jack and Maddie devise a plan to use her as bait in order to catch the infamous Danny Phantom. Danny Dani sibling fluff.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from fanfiction

Jack and Maddie stared at the young girl they had caught. She bore too strong a similarity to the infamous ghost boy for it to be merely coincidence. So strong a similarity that, even though she had been denying the facts for nearly two hours by now, they were very certain of their relationship. Siblings, cousins, something along those lines. They had to be related. Jack had suggested that she was a crazy fan that recently died, but Maddie assured him that she did not just have the white hair and glowing emerald eyes, along with a similar wardrobe, but they had the same nose, cocky smirk when they thought they were out of reach of danger and the same annoyingly spunky attitude. After a study of the young ghost girl, Jack was forced to agree with his wife. She looked just like Danny Phantom.

The girl was curled up in the corner of the ghost cube she was put in, furthest from them. In a ball, she was trembling anxiously. Not crying, but tears were streaming down her cheeks. Oddly enough, it made the couple feel a bit sorry for her. She was obviously younger, small, and admittedly much more cute and innocent looking than her cousin/sibling/whatever she was to the infamous ghost.

Maddie nudged her husband, gesturing to go upstairs where they could plan in peace. Jack nodded, and they checked to assure she couldn't escape. Maddie went to turn off the light, only to be startled by the girl calling out to her.

"Don't!" Maddie glanced over her shoulder at her. The ghost girl blinked at her, still teary-eyed. "Don't turn off the light." Her voice was hoarse and small. "Please." Jack and Maddie exchanged a glance before shrugging, and they decided to let her have the light on.

Jack eagerly went straight for his fudge while Maddie made coffee.

"What should we do with her?" Jack immediately brought up. He got a container of fudge for himself and Maddie to share.

"What do you mean?" Maddie questioned, leaning against the counter. The coffee maker had begun to rumble softly to life as it began to brew.

"I mean, she hasn't really done anything yet," Jack began.

"That we know of," Maddie corrected, and Jack gave a thoughtful nod. They had found the girl simply...playing.

Imagine the surprise of the ghost hunters when they saw the girl at the park. Not causing property damage, scaring those out for an evening walk, being a terror. The white-haired ghost girl was on the playground, the swings to be exact, minding to herself. She was giggling, swinging as high as she could go. Maddie remembered her jumping off when she seemingly grew tired of the game, floating into the air and doing flips. She had clung to her weapon tightly, expecting her to suddenly rush for a jogger or a mother with her kids, but instead, the young phantom went right for the merry go round.

She had landed on the ground, and she pushed it. Running alongside it, she eventually began to fly, making the merry go round pick up a frightening speed. She grabbed a bar and hopped on, raising her arms up as the playground equipment spun wildly. Maddie was disturbed by how...human it seemed, and how much the scene reminded her of when she used to take Jazz and Danny to the park to play.

"Right, but she hasn't really done anything, this is the first time we've even seen the ghost," Jack tried to approach their situation logically, a rarity for him. Maddie knew where Jack was coming from. This ghost seemed innocent. And adorable. She seemed to possess a charm of a girl scout girl trying to sell cookies; you can't just resist or say no to her. The very thought of turning her down when she offered the cookies made you feel guilty and you would take out your wallet and indulge on delicious girl scout cookies. She was so young looking, and it made Maddie feel sorry that she had apparently died so young.

But it reminded her that this wasn't a girl scout. This was a ghost girl, one that was very likely to be related to the infamous Danny Phantom, wanted by Amity Park for various crimes. She was very young looking, no older than thirteen. Was it possible that she was just a little girl, or was her innocent look hiding demonic behavior. Was she just a cuter, younger and completely innocent version of Danny Phantom, or an equally dangerous threat to their town and family? Neither adult wanted to find out the hard way.

Maddie was right. They shouldn't take chances on something they didn't know about. This wasn't just a lottery, a this was a high stakes poker game. The question was what to do with her. Should they dissect her? Did she have any information they could threaten out of her? But she was so young, cute and innocent looking. Neither was sure if they could torture or dissect a girl that reminded them so much of Jazz at that age.

They both silently pondered their own ideas as the coffee pot finished dropping, and Maddie poured them each a cup.

"We can't let emotions get in the way," Maddie informed Jack, and she handed him his cup. "We have to approach this logically and make the best of the situation that was handed to us. We have a girl that is very likely to be related to Danny Phantom. The question is, what to do with her."

Phantom was such an oddity. There were so many things about the specter that drove them to, more than other ghosts, want to dissect and figure him out. If she was truly related to him, then she must have similar genetic makeup. Phantom was so hard to capture, even harder to keep captive, but this girl seemed much weaker than him, or at the very least, more unsure and less confident in herself compared to her cousin/sibling/whatever.

But could they really bring themselves to do it? Dissect a little girl? The Fenton adults drank coffee quietly for a few moments as they thought.

"I'm sure she has some information on ghosts that we don't know about," Jack spoke thoughtfully as he opened his container of fudge, greedily chomping down on a piece. After so many years of marriage, Maddie knew that he had the same thought process as her when it came to the unspoken suggestion of dissecting her: It would be too emotional for the parents to dissect somebody who looked so young and innocent, even if she was Phantom's cousin/sibling/whatever. "We could press and threaten some information out of her."

"Sounds good," Maddie agreed after taking another sip. An idea hit her, and her eyes lit up. "We could use her as bait."

"Bait?" Jack questioned, curiously.

"To catch the ghost boy. If they're truly related in any way, he'd risk anything to save her. He pretends to save all these townspeople, so he would move quicker and obviously try harder to rescue a family member, even if it was an obvious trap."

Jack grinned.

"Sounds good!" he chirped as he immediately jumped up from the table. "I'll get to work."

He quickly grabbed the container of fudge and ran down into the basement. Maddie smiled as she calmly stood, still holding her coffee mug. She picked up Jack's coffee mug and refilled them before following her husband downstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

The girl had begun to occupy herself by tracing the tiles of the floor beneath the containment cube. She snapped to attention when Jack had barreled down the stairs, eyes wide in fear. However, the ghost hunter ignored her and had gone straight for a long table full of gadgets and tools. She looked for the other ghost hunter, seeing her come down with coffee. Once the coffee was set down, her attention rested on the ghost girl. It was time for a different approach now.

Maddie smiled softly and warmly, crossing her arms as she came over. She knelt down to the area closest to the phantom, who watched her like a hawk. If she wanted, Maddie could step inside. It was a ghost shield containment cube, not a human shield. But for now, she kept her careful distance.

"Sweetie, can you tell me your name?" she questioned. The ghost girl seemed thrown off by the maternal tone presented to her, and she shifted a bit anxiously.

"D-Danielle," came the soft reply. Maddie's smile grew a bit wider. She had refused to give her name initially, and the name brought her great hope and was almost a confirmation that she had to be related to him.

"How are you doing, Danielle?" The ghost girl blinked at her, looking very skeptical of the hunter's intentions. But Maddie's prayers were answered when the girl herself answered.

"I'm scared," she confessed. Her voice was so small and frightened, it almost broke Maddie's heart. She was much more cooperative than the ghost boy already, not having yet thrown a single snide remark or threat or anything at them.

"How old are you?" The ghost seemed puzzled by this question, and she was silent for a while. It didn't seem to be defiance that prevented her from answering questions, but legitimate confusion. Maddie decided to rephrase the question. "When's your birthday?" Danielle's lower lip trembled.

"I don't know," her voice cracked a bit. "I don't know how old I am, or when my birthday is."

Maddie forced herself to not frown.

"Where's your parents?" This seemed to strike an emotional nerve, as the ghost girl began to tear up more, wiping her eyes.

"I don't have any."

"Is Danny the only family you have?" Maddie questioned, and it was so, _so_ weird to call Phantom just Danny. That was her son's name not that...ectoplasmic monster's. Danielle didn't reply. She just kept her gaze on the floor, returning to tracing the tiles with a finger.

Jack soon came over, the Fenton Ghost Gloves on and holding something in one of his gloved fists. It was the Fenton Ghost Tracker, modeled after a police tracking device. The adults exchanged a nod as Jack gave his wife the tracker. Maddie glanced over at the girl.

"Danielle?" she spoke up. The girl turned her attention to her, and Maddie held up the tracking device. "You're going to help us." It was an order, and it made the ghost girl flinch. "This is the Fenton Ghost Tracker. You are going to help us capture Danny Phantom. You cannot phase this off, and it cannot be taken off without the code being entered. If the code fails, it will give off a painful shock."

"How am I supposed to find him?" Danielle questioned. Maddie narrowed her eyes at her.

"You two are related," she accused. "He will come for you."

Danielle didn't reply.

Jack stepped into the containment cube, and he grabbed her arm. The ghost girl yelped in surprise, struggling in his grasp, but Jack kept a firm hold on her. Maddie followed suit, and she snapped the bracelet around her ankle. The girl seemed resigned to her fate, and she looked up at the Fentons with wide, fearful eyes.

"Are you...going to hurt Danny Phantom?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," Maddie lied smoothly. "We just have some questions."

* * *

The bait had been secured. The bait was put on the hook. The hook was placed just within reach of the ghost boy. Now it was just time for said ghost boy to take the bite for the Fentons to reel in.

Maddie looked out the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle at the ghost girl who was staring blankly at her through the window. For the sake of the plan, Maddie was driving.

"You fly off, we'll know," she warned the ghost girl. The girl nodded slowly, glancing down at the tracking device they put around her ankle. It was glowing, giving soft beeps.

"Good, now help us catch a ghost boy."

The girl shot up into the air, and for a moment, Maddie believed that she was trying to get away. Jack had already fired up her tracking device, as if worried. She looked out the window, looking up to see what she was doing. The phantom was staring back down at them, as if debating her options. After a minute of pondering, the girl began to float slowly, making a steady descent until she only hovered a few yards from the street.

Maddie had expertly pulled out of their driveway and focused her attention on following the girl in the air, determined to keep a close eye on her. This was finally a fool-proof plan to capture the ghost boy. The endless hunting, the countless hours building the weapons, the neverending plans as to what they would do when they found him. It would all pay off once they finally had him in their hands. This time, he wouldn't escape. They had the girl to their advantage. They had to be related. She didn't just dress like him, she was a younger mirror image of the ghost boy. They looked so much alike, and the most she compared the two, the more familiar they seemed. The two ghosts reminded her of somebody she knew, somebody close. But she could not put her finger on it.

"Have you ever wondered," Maddie broke the silence in the Fenton RV, "if the ghost boy and this girl looked familiar to you in any way?" Jack seemed confused.

"...Her, I don't think I recognize," he confessed. "The ghost kid? Yeah. There's something about him. I can never quite put my finger on it."

Suddenly, the ghost girl began moving faster. Maddie stepped a tad harder on the gas pedal to catch up. She smiled and nudged Jack when she looked out the window to see the girl make a mad rush for the ghost boy, who was waiting with predicted open arms. He pulled her into a tight hug, and he seemed overjoyed to see her. They were right. They had to be related, and he took the bait. Hook, line, and sink.

The Fentons scrambled out, and Maddie gripped her weapon tightly. Their prey had taken the bait quicker than Jack all the cookies in the cookie jar.

"Hun, let me get this," Maddie whispered to Jack, and he looked desperately at the sky, then at her, but soon nodded.

"I'll get the thermos," he told her, and he began to rush for the vital piece of equipment.

Maddie pointed her weapon into the sky expertly. Phantom was in her sights, and she could faintly hear the ghost girl talking to him. About teenager things, to distract him. Dumpty Humpty. Comics. Superhero movies.

With a pull of the trigger, a net shot out and wrapped itself around the ghost boy, making him flail his arms around as he fell, both from the shock of being caught and the literal shock he received. The girl reached out to grab the net, but once it made contact, she yelped in pain at the contact.

"Danny, I'm so sorry," Maddie heard her whimper. She noticed the girl was immediately on her hands and knees next to the net of the ghost boy, more tears falling as the ghost boy tried to collect himself. "They caught me and said that I needed to cooperate and I was so afraid they'd dissect me otherwise and you always seem to know what to do when we get into this kind of thing and I wasn't sure what else to do so I went along with it and they put this tracking devi-"

"It's okay Dani," the ghost boy gently interrupted her. The ghost girl sniffed and wiped her eyes. "We'll be fine. We've escaped these things before."

"But you won't escape this time, ghost punk!" Jack declared loudly as he munched on a cookie, his weapon raised in the other hand. He must have found the stash in the back. The ghost teens winced when Jack shot his gun off in the air, hitting and blasting a huge hole in a billboard advertising Vlad for the next mayor election.

"Jack, sweetie, the thermos?" Maddie asked, gesturing to the ghosts.

"On it baby!"

Twin sets of bright green eyes grew wide as they were sucked into a thermos.

* * *

Danielle was put back into the ghost cube containment chamber. She sat cross-legged closest to Danny. Danny had been strapped down to the lab table. Maddie had made an extra makeshift strap for his legs when he began to kick around using the ghost-proof belt her son had refused to wear. She didn't understand, why would her son refuse a belt that kept his pants up and yet also protected him against ghosts? It was only a little embarrassing, but safety first!

"Any luck?" Danny asked hopefully towards his cousin, glancing over at her. The Fenton adults were currently upstairs. Danny could only assume they were planning their night of dissection.

"I'm completely trapped," she reported, biting her lower lip. "You?"

"I would be free if Mom didn't use the stupid belt she tried to give me," he growled, struggling against his binds. Danielle unsuccessfully held back a snicker, earning a Look from Danny. "This is serious!"

"I know, I know!" she said, throwing arms up in defense. "Sorry." Her lower lip trembled a bit. "Danny, I'm so sorry."

Danny sighed, his expression softening as he went limp, taking a moment to just relax and think.

"Dani, I've escaped worse," he assured her. "It'll be okay."

"Alright ecto-scum," Jack's voice called out as he all but ran down the stairs. Danny had always wondered how his dad's large form moved that quickly. "Are you ready for dissection?"

Danny's face paled, and Danielle immediately cried out fearfully.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" she yelled accusingly, her eyes desperately looking at the calmer adult following him. "You promised!

"We're not dissecting," Maddie said, but she seemed to mostly be talking to her husband. The ghost kids had a brief moment of relief. "Not yet anyway."

"Then what are you going to do with us?" Danny asked, only to wince heavily when Maddie shined a bright light in his eyes.

"We want answers, ghost!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Answers?" Danny echoed, squinting his eyes until they were practically shut. Maddie soon shined the light away, but still on him. He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly before his parents came into focus. Maddie was standing over him, Jack having moved to get a video camera to record the encounter. "What do you want to know?"

Maddie glanced at Jack, who gave a nod at her. She leaned in to examine him closely for a moment. He was familiar, but she wasn't sure how. Danny felt beads of nervous sweat forming.

"Who are you?" Maddie finally asked.

"Pardon?" Danny replied, giving her a strange look. She slammed her fists on the table, making him jump.

"Who are you?" she hissed. "Before you died?"

"I…I…don't…remember," Danny lied. Maddie gave him a look as if she didn't believe him, but didn't press it any further.

"Why do you attack the town, spook?" Jack asked. Danny directed his attention towards him. The other adult still had the cookies he had found in the Fenton RV, sipping on a glass of milk to accompany his snack.

"I don't!" he protested. "I protect it!"

"Give up the act, ghost boy, nobody here believes you!" Maddie snapped.

"I believe him!" Danielle called out. Maddie looked over her shoulder at the girl.

"Nobody that's alive here believes you," she corrected herself. She decided to throw out the working theory, to see their reaction. "Of course a naive little sister believes her older brother."

"Brother?" Danielle asked, looking at the ghost hunters in surprise. The ghost hunters seemed equally surprised at the girl's own confusion.

"Well, if you aren't brother and sister, what are you?" Jack wondered.

"No," Danny spoke up. "She's my sister, and I love my sister."

He looked towards Danielle, giving her a smile which she happily returned. The ghost hunters missed the significance of this, although they both took note of that it was significant.

"Do you have any other relatives?" Maddie asked, interrupting the moment.

"No," he replied truthfully. Danny _Fenton_ had relatives. Maddie shined the light in his eyes. "I swear, Danielle's the only relative I know!"

Maddie shined the light away.

"Back to the before question," Maddie changed the subject. "Why do you attack the town?"

"I told you!" Danny yelled, struggling against his binds. "I don't!"

"Then explain the Mayor incident!" Jack challenged.

"He was overshadowed!" Danny insisted. Maddie gave him a look of annoyance and disbelief, but motioned for him to continue. "I accidentally broke a law, a really minor and dumb law I should add, and this jailer ghost, Walker, sentenced me to a thousand years in prison. I…I ended up causing a riot and broke out. He was getting revenge by making the town hate me, making me a prisoner in my own home."

Maddie looked a bit thoughtful at this.

"I believe that," she said, surprising her husband and son.

"You do?" Jack and Danny asked in unison. Both stared at her with wide eyes.

"Yes," Maddie confirmed. "But you're still horrible for skipping out on your jail sentence." Danny gave a groan. He couldn't win. "If you were really a good ghost, you would have served your time and moved on. A thousand years means nothing to a ghost."

"I broke out because it was unfair and unjust!" Danny explained. "Would you like to be in prison for a thousand years for being in possession of a box?"

"What was in the box?" Jack wondered.

"Nothing," he said, shrugging his shoulders the best he could. "It was just a box. Nothing inside, nothing written on it. Just owning that little, no bigger than a five by seven post office box got me a thousand years in prison. How is that fair? I have every right to protest an unfair justice and legal system, no matter if I'm alive or dead or in the Ghost Zone or the human world."

"…He's got a point," Jack admitted to Maddie. She looked lost in thought, trying to process this. They all sat in silence for a few minutes before Maddie lit up and began to question again.

"What about the robberies? You know, when that creepy circus was in town?" Maddie asked. Jack perked up, remembering this. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Did you not listen to the news? About how the circus owner was in possession of all the stolen items?" Danny asked. Maddie's eyes grew wide. She hadn't watched the news, she was too busy punishing her son and his friends. "He was controlling ghosts to do his bidding."

"Jack, did you watch the news?" Maddie asked her husband. He shook his head no.

"It's on at the same time Ghost Hunters is," he replied. Maddie moved over to the computer and turned it on.

"Whatcha doing?" Jack asked.

"Confirming the story," Maddie replied.

Ten minutes of awkwardly waiting later, Maddie finally turned off the computer and stood.

"Well?"

Danielle smiled from her position. Danny was doing beautifully, and the ghost hunters were in shambles. Their defenses were falling apart. They had so heavily assumed that the ghost boy would crack under what he'd done, never expecting him to have a solid story with no contradictions that they could pick apart and show him how horrible he truly was. Guilt was still weighing on her for dragging him into this. Danny glanced over at her, and she gave an encouraging thumbs up.

"How come you attacked us during the mayor's incident?" Jack questioned. Maddie gave him a look of relief at his question. A question that could get them their composure back.

"I thought you were overshadowed," Danny replied simply. "Almost everybody was overshadowed during that time, I figured you would be too."

"How do you explain fighting all the ghosts, yet being one?" Maddie asked.

"They're destroying my hometown," he replied.

"But you do the same," Maddie argued.

"No, I don't, it just happens during a fight, I never intend for it!" Danny argued back.

"But why are you here?" she pressed.

"To protect my hometown!" Danny nearly yelled back.

"I'm going to pretend you are protecting the town for a minute," Maddie began. Danny gave a small glare. "Humor you. Why are you protecting the town?"

"Because my family is here! My friends are here!" he snapped. Maddie shot him a skeptical glare. He remembered his earlier words, he added, "Even though I don't remember who my family nor my friends are, I remember that they live here."

Silence fell over the room. Maddie and Jack went from constant glances to the ghost boy, to staring at each other in a quiet conversation. Years of marriage gave them the ability to communicate without speaking.

"What kind of powers do you have?" Jack wondered, breaking the silence. Danny seemed relieved at the non-personal question.

"I can fly, create ecto-blasts and shields, ghost sense, ice powers, intangible, invisible, working on duplication, overshadow people, my ghostly wail, and there's more but I don't remember them off the top of my head," Danny replied. Maddie rose an eyebrow at Jack, and he understood her silent message. She was surprised at how many powers he had. She had never seen him use half of those. Was he holding back during fights, either to protect them or to keep an element of surprise? She wasn't sure.

"Many ghosts have some sort of obsession, something that keeps them going," Maddie said, beginning to pace at the foot of the lab table Danny was strapped to. "What's yours?"

Danny thought for a moment.

"Protecting my loved ones and my hometown," was his response.

Maddie sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Jack, maybe we should take a break, study the footage we have, write down our other questions and then return in a few hours," she suggested. "We can just put him in the containment cube."

"Could we have lunch?" he asked hopefully. Maddie gave a smile and nodded.

"I'll make lunch while you move him," she said, beginning to walk up the stairs. "And bring up the video too, hun!"

"You got it baby!" Jack chirped back. Maddie smiled and went up the stairs to prepare lunch.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack put Danny in another container before going upstairs.

"I want lunch," Danielle said, breaking the silence. Danny shot her a small Look.

"Dani, be serious."

"I am serious!" Danny groaned, rubbing his temple. Danielle bit her lip again. "I'm sorry. I'm just...I'm scared." Danny softened a bit, and he reached out to give her a hug.

"I know. We'll get out. I promise." Danielle smiled, and she leaned into the hug before Danny let go. He turned his attention to looking at the lab around them. "But we need to find a means of escape."

"Well, they're your parents," Danielle said, rubbing her arm anxiously. "You know their inventions better than I do!"

"True," Danny sighed. "Okay, examine every inch of your box, and let's see if we can find a weak spot."

Danielle nodded, smiling hopefully as she began to study her prison carefully.

* * *

Maddie and Jack sat on the couch. Jack had a grilled cheese sandwich in on hand, the other writing down on a notepad that was balanced on his knee. Maddie occasionally took a bite of her sandwich, but had a laptop in her lap, doing more research on the answers Phantom had given her, desperate for a hole. Any hole. No matter how small, she was desperate for that hole in the story, the weak leg, the transparent excuse.

Jack paused at the moment Phantom was explaining the jail sentence.

"Do you really think that Phantom is telling the truth?" Jack wondered. "He could always lie to us."

"But why lie about some things, but not the other?" Maddie asked back. "I can't find anything about the Circus Gothica that argues against what Phantom said. Why lie about the mayor incident? I mean...Jack there were a lot of other people overshadowed. I guess...I guess it's reasonable to assume that...maybe he was overshadowed."

"Or he thought the mayor was overshadowed but he wasn't!" Jack spoke up, grinning as he rapidly wrote those two things down. Maddie smiled at her husband. He wasn't the brightest, but he certainly had his moments. "Phantom did say that he thought we were overshadowed!"

"That's a good possibility," she replied. "Phantom probably just assumed that he was overshadowed just like he did us."

Jack nodded, pushing play, and he continued to watch the video for a few minutes longer. He paused it again, causing Maddie to pause and glance at him.

"How many powers do you think Phantom really has?" he wondered, glancing at his list. It was an impressive list.

"I don't know," Maddie said quietly. "I'm not sure how powerful he is either, but I know he's pretty powerful. And that scares me. It really does Jack."

"It's alright, Mads, we can still catch him," he assured her. Maddie shook her head.

"That's not it, Jack. Phantom supposedly beat the Ghost King. You'd have to be powerful to do a feat like that," she sighed. "I'm...I really am hoping he's a good ghost. If this ghost is as powerful as I'm beginning to believe, than we all better really hope that he is truly is good." She shuddered. "Or at least that he's very committed to this fantasy he has of being a superhero. I don't want to wake up and learn that he's been faking being a hero when I could have stopped him a long time ago."

"Phantom did say his obsession was protecting though," Jack spoke thoughtfully. Maddie considered this.

"Very true," she admitted. "I can't imagine any other obsession for him than fighting. That's all he seems to do, fight."

"But if that was his obsession, why would he only target ghosts?" Jack wondered, biting the top of his pencil.

"That's true," Maddie murmured. She glanced over Jack's list of notes. "But what if he's only concerned about protecting his supposed family and friends? What happens when they eventually pass away? Will he give up that obsession?"

"He doesn't even know who his family is," Jack reminded her. "Maybe he'll just begin focusing on random people in a belief that they're his family? Maybe he's already been doing that?" The idea of Phantom stalking a random family in Amity Park under the delusion that he was their long lost son and brother, invading their family dinners or sleeping in their guest room unknown, disturbed Maddie.

The video ended, and Jack put his notebook down on the coffee table. Maddie folded the laptop and set it next to the notebook. She glanced at the clock. Jazz would be home soon from school. Danny probably had detention again, causing a delay. Honestly, what was going on with him?

"What about Danielle?" she suddenly asked. Jack glanced at her questioningly. "She's his brother. Did she die at the same time? Why is she only just now appearing? Who is she?"

"Why don't we question the girl ghost then?" Jack questioned. "You know, take Phantom out of the room and question the girl separately."

"Jack, that's brilliant!" Maddie exclaimed.

The two hurriedly put their things away, rushing to the basement. The two ghosts were examining their prison, obviously looking for a means of escape. Upon noticing the ghost hunters, they stopped to stare, awaiting to see what was next.

Maddie picked up a Fenton Thermos and stepped inside. She pointed it at Danny, who immediately began to try and dodge it, but to no avail. Jack put on the Fenton Ghost Gloves before entering as well, grabbing Danielle by the legs as, she too, tried to dodge. He dragged her to the table, ignoring her squirming and light shrieks of protest and strapped her down.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Danny's voice screamed from inside the thermos. Maddie glanced at it.

"I'll put him in the kitchen so that he can't hear what's going on," Maddie told Jack. He nodded as he strapped the girl in.

Maddie went up the stairs. She put the older Phantom on the kitchen table. Grabbing a post-it note, she stuck one on the thermos, with a note saying.

_Jazz and Danny,_

_Phantom's in this thermos, DO NOT let him out or you'll be grounded for a month._

_Love, Mom_

She made sure it was on securely before walking back down into the lab. Jack had finished setting the camera back up to record the interrogation, and she was whimpering pathetically. Maddie felt a little sorry for her. She looked so cute and innocent for an evil little sister of a horrible ghost.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked, glancing worriedly at the medical equipment. Jack motioned to Maddie that he started recording.

"Nothing, if you answer our questions," Maddie replied, giving her a small glare. She shined the light in her eyes. "Let's start with a simple question. Do _you_ know who you were before you died?"


	5. Chapter 5

Danny banged against the walls of the thermos. It was cramped, and he was panicking. What were they going to do to Danielle?

Oh God. Oh God what if they were going to **_dissect her!?_**

He began to pray that Jazz would return home soon. It was nearly the end of the school day. Fuck, and he had skipped his last two classes. This couldn't get wor-actually yeah, it probably could get worse. No need to jinx the situation.

His parents did mention that they wanted answers, and dissection had only come up once, in his mom confirming that this wasn't their plan. Least for now. But what if Danielle said the wrong things? What if she let it slip that she was a clone, or half ghost? All the worst situations flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but fear that they were going to just whip out the scalpels and prodders immediately.

He banged harder against the container, hoping Jazz would enter, or that he would fall on the ground and release himself.

* * *

When when the ghost boy, she seemed to feed off of his confidence and hero mentality. She would smile, kick butt and openly be snarky in the situation. Maddie had seen the same bravado when she was still avoiding capture.

But unlike her brother, when captured, she seemed to immediately melt into a puddle of nerves and anxiety. She was shaking hard on the table, tearing up again, flinching at every single movement. Almost the opposite of Danny Phantom, who barely flinched at every invention shoved in his face.

"All I know is that my name was Danielle, and that...that I basically never had a home," she said, wincing at the bright light. Her voice was shaking, and the adults frowned. It was going to be very hard to call out lying when she seemed so nervous and scared over everything, the normal obvious lying ticks blending in with the girl's natural fear over the situation.

"You and Phantom were orphans?" Maddie questioned. Dani paused before the lie they had told them clicked.

"Yeah. You could say that. I was...I was never expected. V-My dad didn't want me. And Danny's parents couldn't accept him for who he was, and so we were both left to fend for ourselves," she slowly lied. She flinched under the intense gaze of the Fentons. Silence seemed to drift on forever, and every passing moment made her more worried that she had slipped up.

"Your dad and Phantom's parents are different?" Maddie suddenly questioned. Danielle flinched. She already fucked up.

"H-h-half-s-siblings," came the shaky response. "We were raised by different dads. I never had a real mom." She quickly added, "I mean, I-I of course have one, but just, I never k-knew her ya know? My dad raised me himself, but h-he never really w-wanted me."

The unintentional truth of the situation caused Danielle's voice to quiver hard. Of course, she was over Vlad. He was, to say the least, a fruitloop. But she was still unwanted and left abandoned, and it still hurt. Was she even saying the right things? What had Danny already said before today? Was she accidentally contradicting something? She was unsure, and she was scared. This was all so new, she never even mentally prepared for something like this. What if they caught her in a lie? Would they dissect her?

Danielle could only pray that Danny found a way out of the thermos.

Maddie and Jack were silent, with unreadable expressions. They couldn't let emotions get to them, to let the girl play them like a fiddle.

They reminded them too much of Danny and Jazz than they'd like to admit. Maddie couldn't help but wonder why they weren't accepted by their parents, and she was sorry that they had to go through that. Perhaps that's what led to their death? Being homeless, dying on the streets. Their bodies possibly never buried, and the two roaming Amity Park in a false sense of being a hero while no longer having to worry about most human things, like having food or a place to sleep.

Danielle took this silence as a chance to calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. Panicking wasn't going to make anything easier on her. If she wanted to get out, she needed to take initiative. Danny was more fucked than she was. There was no way to escape a thermos from the inside, to her knowledge anyway. She at least had more wiggle room to leave.

"Do you protect Amity Park too?" Jack questioned. For now, he and Maddie had agreed to humor the two, for the sake of getting answers.

"No, I don't actually," the ghost girl admitted, slowly processing her emotions before she could put them into words. "I mean, I'm perfectly capable of saving people, and myself, it's just that...I just want to explore, you know? I've never really had a life or any freedom, the choices and options to just go and be my own person, to see the world. I wanna know and learn everything I can. Maybe after a bit, I'll help Danny, but for now, I just want to do my own thing."

She was. She was perfectly capable of saving others, and herself. Danny had saved her the first time, and another time, but Danielle had gotten herself out of many pickles.

The light was flashed into her eyes again, and she squirmed. As she squirmed, she realized something. She could move more than she thought. She literally had more wiggle room to escape.

"Can you please move that light from my eyes?" she complained. "I can't think with that in my face."

Maddie nudged Jack, and he reluctantly moved it. Danielle blinked, and she glanced up at the two with lightly teared up eyes, this time due to the light irritating her eyes, and let everything focus. She glanced down at herself, and as she figured/felt, she had no binds on her legs due to cooperation.

Her eyes lightly wandered to the bind across her. It was a buckle, and it glowed to signal that she couldn't phase through it, but she had an idea.

"What was that?" she asked aloud. The Fenton adults gave her a weird look.

"What are you talking about?" Maddie asked her, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, you probably didn't hear," Danielle played it off like a pro. Living on the streets did improve one's acting skills. "Ghosts have much better hearing than humans. I thought I heard somebody rummaging in that giant thing on the roof."

"The OP-Center!" Jack cried out, and he immediately began to run up towards it. Maddie looked a bit bewildered, but she stayed where she was, and Danielle cursed mentally. She needed Maddie to leave.

"You really think that he could actually handle himself if somebody was actually up there?" Danielle questioned. Maddie gave her a suspicious look, and she slowly moved to the door. Flickering a light, a hum was heard, and a ghost shield was up around the lab to prevent Danielle from phasing out.

Once Maddie had left the room, Danielle bent her knees, placing her feet on the table and pushing herself up a bit. Giving a small grumble, she moved up a few inches, enough to wiggle her arms out, and she undid the buckle. She gave a satisfied smile, and she turned human before jumping off, and scrambling to leave the ghost shield, heart racing. She was free, but the window of escape was too small. She had to leave.

Once past the barrier, she immediately changed back, and she turned invisible and moved to find the thermos. She couldn't remember where Maddie said she was going to put him. Checking out the living room, she saw no trace, but the thermos caught her eye as she floated towards the kitchen.

She almost screeched to a halt when, almost suddenly, Jack came into view, sitting at the table with the thermos with some milk and cookies.

"Well, I didn't see anybody," Maddie said slowly, coming back downstairs. "She was just trying to distract us."

"I knew we couldn't trust her," Jack grumbled. Maddie lovingly patted her shoulder as she came up to him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Probably trying to escape."

"All part of the job, dear. She couldn't have escaped the lab, though. I put up the ghost shield," she told him. Jack grinned.

"That's why I love ya, baby."

They exchanged a quick kiss before heading back to the lab. The thermos was left alone, and Danielle hesitantly floated near it, and she glanced at the note before picking it up.

"Jazz?" Danny's voice came through.

"No, it's me," Danielle spoke to it, her tone hushed and nervous. "I got out."

"Danielle!? Oh, thank god. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I'm going to let you out, and then we need to leave."

"No, just go! Let me out in a bit, once they discover you're gone, they're-"

"SHE'S GONE!"

Danielle jumped a bit at the shouting.

"Locking down the ghost shield!"

"...going to put down the ghost shield, and we wouldn't be able to escape, even as humans..."


	6. Chapter 6

Danielle froze, clutching the thermos close to her chest as she heard the ruckus downstairs.

"Danielle, put the thermos down and go!" Danny ordered. "If I disappear too, it's just going to be a worse lockdown, don't worry about me!" Danielle's lip quivered.

"But-"

"GO!"

Danielle shakily put the thermos back on the table.

"I'll think of something and be back," she promised quickly, and she immediately flew up. She phased into Danny's room, turning human. If nothing else, she should be able to avoid ghost detection.

The half-ghost went to the window, seeing the bright green shield surrounding the home. Experimentally, she reached out to touch it, only to feel it solidly resist. She couldn't go through it, and Danielle sighed. She had no clue what to do, but at least she didn't hear a lot of noise from downstairs anymore. They probably had found Danny, and...

Danielle shivered. What if she messed up even more? What if they tortured him for answers he didn't have on where she went? What if-No. She had to snap out of it. She was technically a Fenton. She could figure this stuff out. There was the OP center.

She chewed on her bottom lip again, hesitantly opening Danny's door. The house was eerily quiet. Deciding to lightly float, she carefully closed the door and silently made her way up towards the OP center.

* * *

The Fenton adults rushed up the stairs, bursting into the kitchen. The Fenton Thermos, to their horror, was still there, but had obviously been moved.

"Damn it," Maddie swore, and she reached out to grab the thermos angrily.

"Hey! Be gentle!"

She nearly dropped the thermos at the sound of Phantom complaining. Jack's jaw dropped, and he reached out to hold the thermos too. They both clung to the invention, dumbstruck. The ghost girl...left her brother behind.

Jack stared at his wife, and she stared back. They both had the same questions in their mind. Did she really leave him behind?

"Where's your sister?" Jack immediately demanded to know.

"I don't know!" Phantom scowled. "I'm not her babysitter."

"Jack, be reasonable," Maddie frowned. "I put the ghost shield up. There's no way she could have left the lab. I put the ghost shield up. Maybe she's just hiding invisibly around there." Jack pondered this reasoning.

"Let's get the ghost scanners," he suggested. Maddie nodded, and she let go to allow Jack to carry the thermos down into the basement with them.

"You better not lay a hand on Danielle!" Phantom's voice was faint within the thermos. Jack held it up to make it easier for the two to hear as they descended the stairs. "You don't care about her. You have no business with her, it's me you want, and you have me! Just leave her alone!"

The adults were both fascinated with the protectiveness of this ghost towards his sister, as well as the fact that there was a pair of ghost siblings. They had to have died together. But how?

"Calm down, Phantom. We just want to know how she got past our shield," Jack replied. He raised an eyebrow at Maddie, who nodded. "Of course, unless you'd like to clue us in on how she could possibly do that."

"T-that's crazy! How the hell should I know how she escaped your ghost shield!" Maddie took note of the instant panic in his voice. "Maybe your thing's defective or buggy or something!"

The hunters shared a glance.

"I don't believe him." Jack nodded in agreement.

"Wh-what!? I'm not a scientist, how am I supposed to know!?" Phantom yelled, protesting. They also heard banging from inside the thermos. Jack shook the thermos roughly. "STOP THAT!"

"Not until you give us some answers, spook," Jack replied nonchalantly, continuing to shake the thermos a bit as he reached the last step. He paused, handing Maddie the thermos as he went to get the gloves.

Maddie waited patiently, ignoring the curses and mumblings coming from the thermos. Once the gloves were on, the couple moved in a swift, practiced fashion. Phantom released, grabbed, slammed onto the table and strapped in once more.

"Aw come on, I already played this game," he protested. The second he had recovered from the slam, he immediately began to squirm and wiggle. Maddie made a point to make the straps uncomfortably tight. "I don't know anything!" Jack shined the light in his eyes. "STOP DOING THAT!"

Maddie lightly nudged Jack, who let up on the light.

"It's not just your sister," Maddie began, staring down at him. "You are good at avoiding capture, detection and escaping. Too good. We've never had nearly the trouble with other ghosts. And you're going to tell us why."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -finger guns- There is likely only one more chapter to this, two max.

The Op Center was a lot bigger than she expected and oddly silent. It was a bit spooky, and surprisingly chilly. She wondered if it was originally an attic of sorts, or kept purposefully cold. Danielle gave a light shiver as she began to search a cabinet. Something here had to be able to help Danny. He was downstairs, by himself. Trapped. In the thermos. But probably strapped back on the table. Her eyes began to water. What if they were dissecting him?

Danielle rubbed her eyes, forcing herself to relax. She could do this. Danny was going to be fine. These were his parents. Worst comes to worse, he could just reveal himself. Right? She didn't want to force him to count on that option.

She looked at all the buttons on the panels. One of them had to do something. Jeez, there was just so many. How did they keep track of what did what? Danielle didn't see many, if any, labels. Maybe…Maybe one of them could release the ghost shield?

But what good would that even do her? Danny was still trapped, and the Fentons would just put it back up and likely be able to locate where she is. She needed a way to free him.

But how?

"God, this is all my fault," she croaked out to the empty room around it. The machines of the room only hummed softly in response.

* * *

"What can I say, I'm a master of escape," Danny tried to grin. He felt his eyes tear up as he squinted hard at the bright light that got brighter.

"Enough games, ghost boy." He shivered at his cold and impatient his mom was beginning to sound. He knew that tone. He knew it too well. "Just answer the questions."

"And do what? Speed up to my dissection?" Danny half-spat out. The light dimmed, and he could see the outlines of his parent, half in the shadows as they stood behind the light source. It spooked him more than it should have. His confidence wavered, but he stood strong. "Fat chance."

"Then let's make a deal," Maddie voice spoke He blinked as the light switched off, and he saw his mom staring intently at him, Jack giving her a surprised glance. Danny tensed up.

"What kind of deal?" he questioned.

"Answer our questions, give us samples, and you can go," his mom proposed. Danny immediately scoffed. As if his mom was just going to let him go.

"Why the hell would you ever let me go?" he replied, and his fist tightened as he wiggled a bit. He was strapped in too tight, and there was no room for him to possibly slip out like Danielle had earlier. "I don't believe you."

"What other options do you have, Phantom?" Jack seemed to finally get on board with his wife's idea, and Danny stopped struggling for a moment. He rested his head on the table, debating his choices.

Was he charismatic to talk his way out of this? ...He had to choke back on his own unintentional pity laughter at that joke. Still, was it worth trying? Maybe he could at least stall for time and hope Danielle found a solution of sorts. If Danielle could just free him, he could turn off the shield, and they could both book it. But how long would that take? Danielle wasn't familiar with FentonWorks, it could take her a long time. Danny glanced at his parents, who were studying him as they waited for an answer. He knew those looks. They were getting impatient, but they were playing it safe and trying to get the details out before they acted rash.

Giving in was an option. No! No! That was an absolute last resort! His parents would love him. Of course they would. He knew this. But how the fuck would he even begin to explain Danielle? Worse: What if...He gave an unintentional shiver. What if they used Danielle as an excuse for dissection. Best of both worlds. Get to dissect a Phantom but not their son.

"And what about Danielle?" Danny asked, craning to look at his mom again. Maddie was still staring at him, leaning her butt against a table with crossed arms as she was waiting for the ghost boyt to talk. "Will you let her go too?"

"What's her release worth to you?"

Danny paused. What all did he have to offer? Besides a kidney or something?

"What do you want?" he asked. Maddie gave a small shrug.

"I think you know what we want."

The comment made him shiver a bit, and he rested his head on the table to think. Did Danielle have a plan? Maybe he could trick his parents still. Maybe if he just agreed, and he sent them off to go and find her, he could turn human, break free, and at least get upstairs and pretend he recently came home. He still had options. He was going to be okay. If worst case scenario...he did have the golden ticket of revealing himself to his parents.

"Phantom, we don't have-" Jack began to speak, but Maddie cut him off, shooting him a bit of a Look.

"Give him a moment, sweetie," she said quietly, but firm.

"Okay," Danny nearly interrupted her. They both turned their attention to him, completely dumbfounded.

"You...do realize what this means, right?" Maddie questioned.

"We're going to tear you apart molecule by molecule!" Jack spoke up, his voice taking on a creepy cheer to it, and Danny swallowed a lump in his throat.

"As long as you let Danielle go, then cut me up," he replied. Maddie narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're going to pull a fast one on us," she accused him. Danny flinched.

"I, well." He sighed heavily. "Not really," he confessed. "I wish I did. But I'm in between a rock and a hard place, and I can't turn intangible and just fly off."

His parents stared at him for an uncomfortably long time. Danny felt a nervous beat of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. His mind was blank, but he tried to force himself to think of something. Any kind of last minute plan. He did not want to use his golden ticket just yet, but was it time? Of course, he knew they'd love him, but...

"Well, a deal's a deal either way," Maddie replied, and she straightened to stand up, stretching a bit. "Your sister should still be in the house somewhere. I'll go look for her."

"I'll come with!" Jack immediately blurted out, and Maddie smiled kindly at him, putting a hand to his chest to stop him.

"I'd love your help, Jack, but I need you to do the more important job of making sure Phantom doesn't escape," she explained to him. She gave him a brief kiss, to Danny's "aw gross!" before grabbing the thermos.

"You said you were going to release her!" Danny protested, trying to jerk up but the restraints immediately nearly rubber banding him back to the table.

"I will, Phantom," Maddie replied calmly. "I'll release her back into the Ghost Zone. Just sit tight, I'll be right back."

Footsteps later, and she was gone.

* * *

Danielle stared at…whatever it would come to be called. All she knew is that it was meant to make some noise. A lot of it. Some flashy looking alarm taped to a ghost gabber taped to some weird invention that looked like a skateboard with rockets on it. She glanced behind her at the bedsheet she had gotten from somebody's bedroom, it looked like it belonged to Jazz, and had tied around a coat rack to make it appear as if a ghost was peeking around the corner. She could only pray that this would work.

The clone was on all fours at the top of the stairs that led to the second floor. She had carefully dragged this invention down from the OP center. A quick check told her that Danny was still trapped downstairs. If this could just work, it would cause the Fentons to leave.

But what if it failed? Danielle scolded herself. It had to work. It was going to be fine. She froze when she heard a door open. She strained to try and peak at the front door in hopes that it would be Jazz, or one of Danny's friends. It wasn't, and she felt her stomach flip flop. Now or never.

She grasped one end of the skateboard, preparing to push it down the stairs. Her other hand reached towards the alarm's on button.

"Boo," she whispered softly into the device, giving it a careful, gentle nudge down, pushing the alarm button at the same time.

She flinched as the invention, as expected, did not smoothly slide down the stairs as she hoped, but instead immediately stopped and flipped onto it's side before rolling down. The entire time, the roar of the alarm began to annoyingly blare, drowning out a stupid "I am a ghost, fear me" from the ghost gabber.

Danielle glanced up, and she immediately jerked backwards the second she saw a blur of blue and black beginning to rush up the stairs. She scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash down the hallway. How was his mom so fast?

"Hey!"

Her heart went crazy as she rounded the corner for the stairs to the OP center. Danielle went ghost, and she glanced behind her to see the ghost hunter turning the corner for the stairs, eyes locked on her. Danielle felt sick dread. Where was the dad?

No matter, she could still quickly knock out Jack and free Danny. Danny would forgive her. He should anyway. It was a matter of literal life or death. Danielle pushed herself for the final sprint to the top and into the OP center. She felt a hand grasp her boot, grazing it just enough to throw her off balance. She went flying, and she hit the ground, rolling twice. She heard some commotion behind her, but she ignored it in favor of phasing through the floor.

She paused as she stayed where she was, on her hands and knees. Still in the OP center. Looking up in confusion, she saw Maddie breathing hard, catching her breath as she leaned back against the slammed shut door. She was staring at Danielle with her hand still on a button. A ghost shield button.

"You made a big mistake," Maddie told her, sounding oddly disappointed in her. It made Danielle flinch.

_Stupid, stupid! Why didn't I fly!?_

Maddie seemed to collect herself, standing up straight. Danielle stood up as well, staring back at her. What was she going to do now?

"What was that?" Maddie questioned, taking a step towards her. Danielle took a step back, jumping as her back hit a chair. She immediately rerouted around it, grasping the back of it and pulling the chair in front of her, as if it could protect her.

"What was what?" Danielle questioned.

"I saw that," the ghost hunter insisted, pointing back towards the door. "You had black hair and were wearing blue and red. You can change your appearance like that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Danielle insisted, but her voice came out too cracked and frantic. She stepped back more, hands gripping the chair tightly and rolling it back with her. Maddie crossed her arms.

"I don't believe you. I've had enough games. Give me some real answers."


End file.
